Oscar Ceremony 2006
by Andre Soares
The first time I watched the Oscars was in 1977. The ceremony was lackluster, and so were many of the winning films. (The dreary Rocky won the Best Picture award.)
Next year, the Academy celebrated Oscar’s 50th anniversary. The galaxy of stars going all the way back to the silent era provided the evening with a welcome nostalgic aura. Unfortunately, the few subsequent ceremonies I’ve watched have oscillated between the painfully tacky to the mind-numbingly dull.
This year, I decided to watch the Oscars so I could write a little something about it. I was expecting to be bored to tears by my self-imposed assignment, but thanks in large part to Jon Stewart’s comedy skills (including the hilarious "Don’t Vote for Them, Vote for Me" ads created by his team) and to the crop of mostly interesting (if flawed) films I did enjoy the experience — somewhat. (Truth in Reporting: I must admit that I missed much of the show’s first hour — I was at the gym, working on another self-imposed assignment — and that I took long Oscar breaks throughout the evening.)
Despite lapses such as Ben Stiller’s embarrassing turn in what looked like a Kermit the Frog suit while presenting the visual effects awards, an unfunny Tom Hanks sketch about keeping speeches short, a poor montage showing epic films and another even poorer showing supposedly socially conscious films, the Academy’s continuous disregard for the best foreign-language film category (no clips from the nominated foreign films were shown), and the ugly dismissal of best original screenplay co-winner Bobby Moresco, who wasn’t allowed to say his "thank yous," the ceremony proceeded at a reasonably steady pace.
Oscarcast highlights included Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin’s delightful improv-style banter while introducing honorary Oscar winner Robert Altman (though Altman’s surprisingly conventional speech was a letdown), the film noir montage introduced by Lauren Bacall (who should have brought her teleprompter reading glasses**), and George Clooney’s witty acceptance speech (which ended with the statement "I’m proud to be out of touch" — with the narrow-minded, intolerant self-proclaimed "mainstream," that is).
Now, I must admit that I was — sadly — dead wrong about one thing. I was expecting the ceremony to offer no major surprises, but there were a couple: The song "It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from Hustle & Flow beat Dolly Parton’s "Travelin’ Thru" from Transamerica.
And of course, the Crash Best Film win was both a major surprise and a major disappointment. (Presenter Jack Nicholson looked as surprised — and as disappointed — as myself.) Crash, a contrived and overblown look at racial relations in Los Angeles (where I live), was the one film I didn’t want to win.
The Paradise Now loss was another disappointment, but considering the more conservative members who tend to vote for the best foreign-language film award, it shouldn’t be at all surprising that the well-made but sentimental Tsotsi – involving a thug and a baby, no less — won in that category.
As for the Crash win, the Academy clearly opted not to make history — Brokeback Mountain would have become the first film about a homosexual relationship to win an Oscar for best film. One could accuse the Academy of being anti-gay, but if that were the case Ang Lee and screenwriters Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry wouldn’t have won the best direction and best adapted screenplay awards. I’d say it’s more likely that many Academy members felt that Crash should be honored on a par with Brokeback Mountain. Thus, the splitting of the two top awards.
Also, before bandying about the word "homophobia" — not that there aren’t anti-gay Academy bigots — one should remember that Crash is about a (however preposterous) day in the life of Los Angeles, where most of the Academy members reside. Like the Sandra Bullock character in that film, those wealthy Academy voters have surely had problems with their Hispanic maids.
My point: Academy members can much more readily relate to several of the Crash characters than to the two Wyoming sheepherders of Brokeback Mountain. (Ask an Academy member to point to Wyoming on a map, and s/he’ll probably stick their finger up Ontario, Canada; ask another what an ewe is, and s/he’ll tell you it’s an expression of disgust.)
Oscar history of the Brokeback Mountain sort will have to be made some other year. But not to worry, that time will come. Not that it ultimately matters. After all, the Academy is hardly known for its trend-setting record.
And in case you’re wondering … Will I be watching the Oscars again any time soon? Hell, NO.
** Mar. 10 addendum: I received a note explaining that during rehearsals Lauren Bacall had flawlessly read the teleprompter text about Hollywood’s film noirs. However, during the Oscarcast the prompter ran too fast and lost the 81-year-old actress. According to one report from backstage at the Kodak Theater, Bacall was so heartbroken by the mishap that she was in tears.
Academy Awards 2006 winners and nominees
Academy Awards 2005 winners and nominees
2005 foreign-language film Oscar submissions
Independent Spirit Awards 2006 winners and nominees
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2 Responses to “Oscar Ceremony 2006”
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Mr Soares…
I really agree with your comments about the Oscar Ceremony. Congratulations for you vie. And I ask you to please no stop watching these shows, your comments always will be very welcomed.
Also, if you thought that about the Oscars. You don’t imagine the horrible Ceremony show of the FIND’S Independent Spirit Award. That was shameless. Playing with the concept of “being edgy” , that show made me lost 2 hours of my life. Bad host: Sarah Silverman, who thinks that saying repeatdly he f… word is being cool. And a repetition of the last 3 years, kareokee style nominated film introductions…was real sad. Independent filmmakers are VERY creative with the resources they have. They deserve a better show. A real creative ceremony…not based in being “edgy”…
Glad someone agrees with me. . .
As for the Independent Spirit Awards, (perhaps fortunately) I missed them. Maybe next year. Maybe.